


hopeless (romantic)

by kirouskasa



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending, How Do I Tag, Lonely Tony Stark, M/M, Tony Is Not Ironman But Afganistan Still Happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 08:15:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18465025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirouskasa/pseuds/kirouskasa
Summary: Tony is hopelessly in love with Steve, but they are just friends.Tony will settle for what he can get even if it might make him miserable.At least he'll have Steve as a friend.





	1. Past

**Author's Note:**

> English isn't my first language and this is the first fanfic I've ever written.  
> I kinda hate the title but what ever.

 Tony and Steve are friends. They planned their futures together. Combining their lives. Tony wishes that they’ll still be together tomorrow. Tony and Steve planned and planned their futures, their future. They had so many plans. All of them were Tony’s dreams and jokes for Steve.

 They were going to go scuba diving. They discoursed about it intensely in Biology class.

 ”There is all kinds of creepy shit in the ocean. So let's not do that”, said Tony. Steve just protested. Secretly Tony would have done anything to make the plan happen. Tony knows that no diving will ever happen. All kids and teens always plan all kinds of futures together. It is fun thing to do. Dreams like these never come true.

 They said they were going to move in together. It would have been a way to get away from their parents. They would have been free. They would have been roommates. Never anything romantic. Tony wouldn’t dare. He is already scared of losing what he has now. But Tony dares to dream silently. He dreams that Steve loves him like Tony loves Steve. Steve has said that he doesn’t like Tony like that. But he has never said it to Tony, so Tony still dreams. Tony is young and in love. Tony is a hopeless romantic because he needs to find love from somewhere. He hasn’t found it at home. Dreams are for hopeless romantics.

 Tony and Steve planed a trip to Europe. This one probably was one of the stupidest of the plans. This plan was filled with booze and fun. In an ideal world they would have had some much fun, Tony thinks.

 Can these plans even be called dreams? These dreams are just jokes.

 Every time they were planning something Tony knew these things would never happen. Tony and Steve are just kids planning a future that is not true in any universe. Kids planning a future that would be funnier, nicer and sweeter than future will be. They are just kids having fun. Just Tony dreaming about love.

 People think that Tony and Steve are dating. Their history teacher just rolls his eyes when Tony and Steve won’t shut up during class. He is convinced that they are dating, the biology teacher is too. Their friends make jokes about them. Steve just laughs and Tony wants to run away because he wishes those jokes were true. Their English teacher thinks they would make a good couple. Their friends think they would be perfect together.

 Tony and Steve kinda act like a couple. They sit next to each other hands touching. They lean on each other. They are always whispering stupid things to each other. Making jokes. Casual touching. Tony doesn’t want it to stop.

 All of their friends know how Tony feels about Steve. Natasha and Sam are sure that Steve likes maybe even loves Tony. Clint and Bucky would like them to just fuck already, get it out of their system. Their friends try to get Tony to confess his love. Tony thinks it would only ruin what he has now. Tony doesn’t want that. Tony and Steve are just friends. Nothing more.

 ”Confessing your love to someone who doesn’t love you is useless. Why would I do that? He would just tell me that he doesn’t feel the same and I couldn’t secretly wish that he does anymore. Things would just get weird with him.”

 Sometimes Tony is quite sure that Steve might like him, but then Steve talks about crush he has. Tony’s heart breaks and Tony asks for more information. He is not sure why. Maybe he just wants to torture himself. Even if Tony doesn’t know the crush or hasn’t met them he hates them. He doesn’t say it out loud to anyone. But he’s pretty sure that his friends know, at least Natasha does. Tony gives Steve advice about love, when Steve isn’t sure about his feelings. Tony wishes that Steve would be talking about him. Tony is allowed to wish. Wishing never hurt anyone.

 Tony and Steve were just kids dreaming about a nice future. They were just kids pretending that their futures will be entwined together. A dream, a joke about shared tomorrow.

 Tony knows that someday Steve and him will pass each other on the street recognizing each other. They will think: ”Is it weird if I greet him now? We haven’t talked in ages.”

 Tony and Steve will share an awkward eye contact and pass each other. And maybe even later they will pass again, but the dreams won’t matter anymore. This is how Tony thought the future would be.


	2. Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is how their future will be.

 But this is how it will be: Tony will try to keep in touch with Steve and the others, but Tony will busy he will have lot on his plate. Things will happen. Life will happen. Tony will go to Afganistan little after college. Tony will come backchanged. He won't answer his phone. He will barely see anyone. Tony will drift apart from his high school friends.

 

Simultaneously life will be and won’t working for Tony. Stark Industries will rise to new levels after the weapons manufacturing stops. Tony will change the world but he'll be alone.

 

Sometimes when the loneliness in Tony’s future will seem to be too big he will think of Steve and he will regret that he never told him that he loves him. Tony will always love Steve he will just refuse to acknowledge it. He will think he’ll get over it. He will think maybe forgetting will be found from drugs or from the bottom of the bottle. He will thinkthat moving on means meaningless sex. He will realize it doesn’t. Tony will be fine. Tony will have Pepper, Rhodey and his bots. Tony will miss his old friends. He will miss Steve.

 

Steve too will think of Tony. How can he not when Tony has changed the world with his tech and when Bucky’s prosthetic arm is made by Tony? Someday Steve will be watching a news clip of Tony. He will wonder why Tony always covers his eyes with sun glasses nowadays. Steve will realize how he loved those beautiful eyes and the way Tony’s hands move when he speaks. Steve will realize he was in love with Tony Starkin high school and he will realize that he still is.

 

”I am in love with Tony Stark.”

 

”You couldn’t have realized that any earlier?” Bucky will question from the couch.

 

”Yeah, like maybe in high school?” Frustrated Clint will say while handing a fifty to Nat. Clint was sure that Steve would have gotten this much earlier.

 

Steve will sit on the couch with his hands on his face. Steve won’t know what to do. None of them have talked to Tony in ages.

 

”Do you still have his number? You could just call him.” Nat will suggest. Steve will take his phone out of his pocket. He will search Tony’s name from his contacts.

 

”I still have it!” Steve is will be just about to press the call button when Clint will say: ”What if it doesn’t work anymore? He has probably changed it and he won’t necessarily even answer.” Steve’s excitement will die and he will get nervous. All kinds of what if scenarios will swirl in his head. None of them will be positive.

 

Nat will give Clint a murderous stare and Bucky will throw popcorn at him and say: ”Don’t listen to Clint. Just call him. You won’t lose anything by trying.”

 

”He’s right, Steve. Just call Tony. I’m sure he’ll answer.”

Steve will press the call button. The number will work. Steve will look around facing his friends’ encouraging smiles. His friends will be nervous too while waiting for the answer. They doubt that he'll answer. They too will miss Tony in the future.

”Sir, Steve Rogers is trying to reach you. Would you like to accept his call?” Tony will stop and drop the wrench he'll be holding. He won't know how to react. He'll be confused by JARVIS’ words and maybe bit scared to answer the call. Maybe he shouldn't answer, maybe he should just keep working and block the call.

Tony will not be that young anymore. Tony will still be in love with Steve Rogers, but he doesn’t want to think about. It hurts. Tony has been trying to forget for a long time and he can easily pretend that he’s not mad at his old friends and himself for losing touch with them. He can pretend that he’s not sad. He can pretend that he doesn’t feel completely alone sometimes.

 

Tony will know all his problems won’t go away with love. Tony will know all his problems will still be there but maybe he won’t have to be alone. Tony will still be a romantic and he will still have just enough hope to answer the call.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!  
> kudos and comments are always appreciated<3

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading  
> kudos and comments are always appreciated <3


End file.
